Thomas eodgee



(No Model.)

T. RODGER. f PLOW PQR SPREADING AND TRIMMING BALLAST O N RAILWAYS Patenjned Nov. 29, 1 88'7.

.................... :wwllll H N. PETERS. Plnmlllwgrapher. waahingmn. D, C.

UNITED STATES *i PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS RODGER, AOF DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO THOMAS BLACK AND ROBERT CRAWFORD, BOTH OF SAME PLACE.

PLOW FOR S-PREADING AND TRIMMING BALLAST ON RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION `forming part of Letters Patent No. 373,907, dated November 29, 1887.

Application -fled May 24, 1886. Serial No. 203,133. (No model.) Patented in New Zealand January 6, 1885, No. 1,680.

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, THOMAs RODGEE, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Dunedin, in the British Colony of New Zealand, engineer, have invented an Improved Plow for Spreading and Trimming Ballast on Railway s, for which an application for patent was iiled in the British Colony of New Zealand on the 6th day of January, 1886, and numbered 1,680; that under the laws governing the grant of patents in said c olony the Letters Patent will bear date as of the day of iiling, and that up to the present time the patent on said application iiled in said colony has not been granted, and of which the following is a specication. Y- i,

This invention of an improved plow for spreading and trimming ballast'on railways is designed to be fixed under a railway-wagon, brake-van, or other railway-vehicle, drawn t preferably bythe ballasttrain, so" as to spread cient width on each side of the track.

and level oft' the ballast deposited on the line by hopper-wagons to an even and finished surface with a minimum of manual labor. The Vehicle carrying my improved plow may, however, be drawn Or impelled independently of the ballast-train, if so preferred.

In order that my invention may be well understood, I will now explain it with reference to the attached drawings,in which- Figurel is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan, ofthe improved plow attached to a brake- Van, which is shown in dotted lines in both iigures.

A is the plow, constructed with a double mold-board, A', to spread the ballast to a suffi- It is suspended from the wagon, van, or other vehicle by links or stems B, connected with the screw-nut O and screw O', which together' serve to lift it, by the aid of hand-wheel C2, clear Of the track when traveling and to lower it onto the rails when working. It is also fitted with an additional link or stem, D, which is furnished with a'lock-nut, D', and key D`l as an additional safeguard for holding the spreading-plow up when traveling, and it is guided .and held in its proper position by the guides E, which work in the horn-plates E.

Its mode of operation when working is to lower it onto the rails and allow it to slide along the top o f them, its lower edge being suitably strengthened and shod for the purpose. The lower edge is also shaped so as to spread or plow the surface of the ballast on the track to the cross-seotion desired, the portion of the spreader between the rails being depressed below rail-level, if desired, with this object.l

When traveling, the plowspreader is lifted up to asufficient height above the track by the aid Of the. hand-wheel (l2 and secured thereat.

I prefer to fit the spreading-plow to the last vehicle or brake-van of a train of ballastwagons constructed according to the specification of an invention entitled Improved Self- Emptying HopperWagons for Ballasting on lailways7 which I am also seeking to patent simultaneously with this invention, although, as before stated, it may be fitted to any other railway-vehicle and drawn or impelled indef pendcntly of any train.

Having now particularly described and explained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is A ballast spreader and trimmerfor use on railways, comprising a plow having a double mold-board, links or hangers connected to said plow for-the purpose of suspending the same from a wagon or truck, a vertical screw connected to said hangers and held in suitable supports on the truck, a screw-nut and handwheel for rotating said screw and raising and lowering the plow from and to the permanent way, horn-plates secured to the truck, and guides secured to the plow to engage said horn-plates and guide the plow in its vertical movements, a locking-link secured to the plow, and a lock-nut and key engaging therewith to lock the plow in raised position, substantially as set forth.

THOMAS EODGEE. 

